ADVERTISING FEATURE
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The Lithgow region has a lot to offer including tourism and adventure activities, and the local economy is also strengthened by world-class local mining operations that provide local jobs and spending with local businesses.
I’ve been CEO of the NSW Minerals Council for seven years and over that period we’ve worked with local mining companies, Lithgow Council and the Lithgow community to support the region.
In Lithgow, mining provides opportunities for businesses that supply local mining operations as well as for the wider business community indirectly.
- Stephen Galilee
Coal mining has been central to the history of the region, as a visit to the iconic Lithgow visitors centre mining lamp demonstrates. The region’s mining sector has gone through some tough times and while there are still challenges, things are looking better than they were just a few years ago.
Coal prices have now been sustained at higher levels than the challenging lows of a few years back, underpinning strong demand that many analysts expect to continue well into the future. This should help drive better business conditions for the local mining operations that are so important to the region’s economy.
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The reopening of the Invincible mine by Castlereagh Coal has created 32 local jobs near Cullen Bullen. There’s also greater certainty for the over 300 local mine workers at Centennial Coal’s Springvale mine thanks to legislation passed through the NSW Parliament, due in part to advocacy from the NSW Minerals Council, Centennial Coal, Lithgow City Council and the CFMEU.
The most important feature of mining in the Lithgow region is our people. Unlike other mining states like Queensland and Western Australia, NSW has very few fly-in-fly-out workers. Most of our miners and their families live and raise their kids in local communities near where they work.
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Our mining families are therefore part of local communities like Lithgow, Cullen Bullen, Wallerawang, Portland, and Hartley. Some of our miners are also local farmers who work at the mine to supplement their farm income. You’ll see our mining families at the local Workies, at Saturday sport and at school fetes.
And local mining supports local jobs and businesses.
Mining in regional communities like Lithgow contribute to the local economy through jobs, and also by creating opportunities for local businesses.
In Lithgow, mining provides opportunities for businesses that supply local mining operations as well as for the wider business community indirectly. This translates into increased economic activity for regional towns like Lithgow.
Mining will continue to help strengthen the resilient Lithgow community and economy for decades to come.
NSW Minerals Council Economic Survey
A survey of 23 mining members for 2016-17 highlighted the figures related to mining in the Lithgow Local Government Area:
- Employees: 1330
- Business supported: 165
- Mining wages/salaries: $96.6 million
- Mining business purchases: $50.6 million